I had to make a change in my life.

I was a college athlete and was able to stay in decent shape in the years directly after graduation, but I think something happened when my wife got pregnant and I KNOW something happened when our daughter was born. Suddenly, I was unable to sleep, had no time to exercise, drank loads of caffeine to stay sharp at work, skipped breakfasts, ate fast food lunches and ended up with a slower, chubbier, version of myself. I looked at the man in the mirror one evening and barely recognized him. At a time when I should be at my absolute physical and mental peak, I wasn’t even close.

Even though there are countless books and blogs (even Pinterest!) for women about pregnancy, exercise, and post-pregnancy exercise, there is a staggeringly small number of resources for men that help them with adapting to the personal and financial life changes that result from the birth of your child. I’ll cover the financial part in another post and will focus on the physical componet for now.

This approach is not a long term solution, but will give you energy to get through the day and knock off the extra weight you’ve been carrying around so that you can once again establish a more balanced life.  I did not consult a physician (there’s the disclaimer), but it works. Simple as that. I call it WO-MENS.

W– Water. At least 8 big glasses daily. Get yourself a water bottle and drink it as often as you can. You’ll be peeing every hour, but you’ll be getting toxins out your body. It’s not as hard as you might think.

O– Oatmeal. It’s cheap, nutritious, and will fill you up without adding to your waistline. Keep some at home and in the office for breakfast. Eat it for breakfast at least 2 times a week. Plain oatmeal is best.

M– Multivitamin. It was the best investment I made in my overall health and wellness. Get your multivitamin from a legitimate health food store, not from your local grocer. If you drink plenty of water and eat well (see O, E, and S) the multivitamins will help your body process food more efficiently and give you plenty of energy while keeping you mentally alert all day.

E– Eggs. I eat two to three eggs 3-4 times a week (sometimes with Oatmeal) Another cheap and easy way to get vitamins. (variations can include cheese, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, etc. – get creative and don’t be overly paranoid about calories)

N– No Fast Food, Soda, of Coffee. This one was really hard for me, but after a few days, you’ll actually start to feel better and won’t crave it as much.

S– Salads- Eat 2 Salads every day. Make them a big as you can handle and load them up all the vegetables you like.  I usually eat a big one for lunch and will eat the other on the drive home (with my water). Throw some eggs in there too! I like Balsamic Vinaigrette as my dressing.

For dinner, keep it simple with a protein, starch, and veggie. In terms of exercise, bust out 20 pushups (knee pushups are ok) before I brush my teeth, each time I use the bathroom (I’ll close my office door if I’m at work) , and before I go to sleep. A little exercise and quality food will help kick start your metabolism and get you back into shape in no time! I’ve been doing this for about a week and have already lost 7 pounds. I plan be down 25 lbs by Christmas and down 40lbs by my daughter’s first birthday ( January 18^th) I’ll keep you posted!

I leave you with a quote from writer/athlete Christopher McDougall:

“We’ve got a motto here-you’re tougher than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can.”